Entries by Prakshi Aneja

Leaf cell-specific and single-cell transcriptional profiling reveals a role for the palisade layer in UV light protection (Plant Cell)

July 15, 2022 in /by

Leaves are the specialized organs of the plant that have evolved to maximize the use of light and CO2 for efficient photosynthesis. Although knowledge of photosynthesis has exploded recently, the molecular intricacies underlying leaf anatomy, especially mesophyll, remains unravelled. The palisade mesophyll forms the columnar layer at the adaxial side and conducts light into the […]

GA-GRF module – A key regulator of rice leaf length via spatial cell division control (New Phytol)

March 4, 2022 in /by

Leaf features have undergone significant changes during the course of evolution and domestication owing to ecological adaptations and changes in source-sink dynamics. Therefore, wild relatives of crop plants are important resources for exploring the genetic regulation of leaf features that might not be present in the cultivated gene pool. Jathar et al. have elucidated a […]

Structural organization of the spongy mesophyll (New Phytol.)

February 18, 2022 in /by

Despite a large variation in leaf morphology, laminar leaf anatomy is largely conserved, comprising two developmentally distinct mesophyll tissues, the palisade and spongy mesophyll. Spongy mesophyll cells along with intercellular spaces form an interconnected network to maximize the surface area for light capture and gas exchange. However, the structural organization of spongy mesophyll is relatively […]

Fast and global reorganization of the chloroplast protein biogenesis network during heat acclimation (Plant Cell)

January 21, 2022 in /by

With the rising climatological extremes, heat stress is a major concern towards sustainable crop yield and productivity as it impairs several physiological and developmental processes. Due to the sessile lifestyle of land plants, they undergo various acclimation responses to cope with fluctuating temperatures. Chloroplasts, apart from being the energy-producing organelles, are also a central player […]

Review. Chloroplast development in green plant tissues: The interplay between light, hormones, and transcriptional regulation (New Phytol.)

December 10, 2021 in /by

Chloroplasts are indispensable for plant growth and physiological performance; not only for photosynthesis but also for many biochemical processes. Due to the endosymbiont origin of the chloroplast, chloroplast development requires sophisticated machinery to relay the signals between the nuclear and the chloroplast genomes. Although the regulation of chloroplast biogenesis by light and phytohormones has been […]